


the smell of nostalgia

by pinball_mentality



Series: catalyst (the little giant is a title of the future) [5]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Gen, Karasuno, Nostalgia, One Shot, back at it again with the little giant angst, it is 12:53am i cant feel my bones, lowercase intended, no beta we die like daichi, pretty sure this doesnt make any coherent sense but give me a break, this series is filled with icarus/atlas metaphors and i did not break that chain today fellas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:07:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29257953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinball_mentality/pseuds/pinball_mentality
Summary: the fate of karasuno and the fate of udai tenma are one in the same. karasuno holds his melted feathers and cradles the boy who once flew, while everyone else only remembers the sun that consumed him.
Series: catalyst (the little giant is a title of the future) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1909456
Kudos: 1





	the smell of nostalgia

**Author's Note:**

> whoop whoop more character studies written past midnight lets go gang gang
> 
> anyways!! my sister got me a sugawara jersey as a late christmas gift which is pretty cool, and partially inspired me to write this!
> 
> i hope you enjoy !! ( •ॢ◡-ॢ)-♡

karasuno remembers him, as he remembers it.

he remembers the shiny floor of the gym, the squeaks of volleyball shoes shifting across it in split-second reactions, the cheers and cries of his teammates. he remembers the shout of the captain to clean up, the struggle he always had with taking down the nets.

he remembers the anxiety he’d get on the bus on the way to matches, the feeling of nervous excitement as they faced the opposing team. the scrapes and bruises he’d get from playing with all he had, whether in a match or from practice. the sweat dripping down his face and the air constantly leaving his lungs.

he remembers the feeling of exhaustion after every play, the contentedness of finishing a practice. the euphoria from winning a match, the crushing feeling of loss and the hopeful determination in sight of the next time. he remembers chatting with his teammates in their spare time, hanging out during practice and school, that giant dinner they had in celebration of making it to nationals.

he remembers the feel of a scraped up volleyball in his hands, the stifling anger and frustration from playing anything less than his best. he remembers the ecstatic feeling he’d get from landing a spike, the view of the other side. he remembers the ups and downs of volleyball, the practices that seemed to painfully drag on forever and the points that seemed to pass by too soon.

he remembers a lot of things. he’s forgotten some, too.

luckily karasuno remembers for him. _(karasuno remembers_ him _. it could never forget, how could it? one of the strongest players its ever had, a legend amongst men. the king of crows, the little giant._

_yes, he was a giant once. a king, a legend, unforgettable and now unremarkable. time has passed. he may not have forgotten but others have._

_they’ve forgotten him._

_they remember the little giant, of course. a folktale, a myth. they remember the short kid who defeated everyone in his path, the player who took the team to nationals._

_they don’t remember him, though. his name has turned to dust, a passing mention in the pages of a story that never ends. a single feather on a crow’s wings. the little giant lives on but he has fallen and melted into wax._

_he lives in the past while the little giant flies headfirst into the future._

_karasuno remembers him, though. the sixth player on its court, the ace of the team. his name is whispered through the cracks in its floorboards, the shine of the polished gym floor. he lives on where the little giant doesn’t._

_karasuno remembers udai tenma. and it will never forget. karasuno remembers icarus, as does everyone. but karasuno remembers atlas, too, knows him inside out like it did all those years ago. it will never forget the boy with black hair and dreams for the future that never come to fruition, remembers his wins and losses and the wings that melted into a world on his shoulders. karasuno remembers udai tenma and the burden he carries now and then.)_

he’s working in the office, drafting a panel for his new manga.

it smells of air salonpas.

**Author's Note:**

> hmmm hopefully that made coherent sense, haha ! most of his feelings about practice/matches were just me projecting my feelings about swimming onto him lol
> 
> that said, i hope you enjoyed!! feel free to leave a comment or kudos. it gives me that sweet, sweet serotonin. :)


End file.
